Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The wonderful Tory Island is home to this round tower which along with the cross is all that remains of the once nearby St Colmcille's monastery.
The monastery and tower are both thought to date back to between the 6th and 7th Century.
The tower is just under 13 meters in height and is made of granite.
The top of the tower suffered extensive damage from a lightning bolt which struck the tower in the late 18th century.

The Tau Cross is made from one piece of mica slate, 1.9m high and 1.1m wide.
The cross stands beside the pier and dates from the 6th century (or some think maybe even earlier).
The cross is one of only four that is known to be in Ireland, the others can be found at Killegar church Co Wicklow, St Begnet's Church Co Dublin and St Catherines Church heritage centre Co Clare.
This cross at Tory is still of great importance to the people of the Island, many fishermen pray at it before setting off to sea.

Access - The ferry sails to the island a couple of times each day, the crossing takes about 35 minutes.
For all the sites I was lucky enough to visit in 2013 Tory Island was the total highlight of these, so what are you waiting for !!!